SpaceX Crew-12 Will Splash Down on October 8
The mission marks the conclusion of a nearly 10-month stay aboard the International Space Station.
Updated on Oct. 6, 2026 in Space
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Following a nearly 10-month mission, the SpaceX Crew-12 astronauts are scheduled to undock from the International Space Station on Oct. 7. The four-person crew will return to Earth with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on Oct. 8.
Why it matters
This mission return facilitates the full rotation of personnel following the arrival of the Crew-13 mission earlier this month. The conclusion of the flight cycle allows for continued maintenance of long-duration orbital operations.
The Crew-12 mission spanned nearly 10 months, featuring significant extravehicular activity including Jessica Meir, who completed seven lifetime spacewalks. The mission concluded as the capsule Freedom prepared for its final deorbit maneuver.
The players
SpaceX
A private aerospace manufacturer that develops the Falcon 9 launch vehicle and Crew Dragon spacecraft used for NASA human spaceflight.
Jessica Meir
A veteran astronaut who has completed seven total lifetime spacewalks over the course of her career.
Sophie Adenot
A crew member on the Crew-12 mission who became the first French woman to conduct a spacewalk.
International Space Station
A modular space station in low Earth orbit that serves as a research laboratory for microgravity and space environment experiments.
The details
The Crew-12 mission return involves the Crew Dragon capsule Freedom undocking from the International Space Station before performing a deorbit burn. A deorbit burn is a propulsion maneuver used to reduce the spacecraft's orbital velocity, allowing it to re-enter Earth's atmosphere for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. The crew includes Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway, Sophie Adenot, and Andrey Fedyaev, who notably saw Adenot become the first French woman to perform a spacewalk during the mission.
Timeline
Feb. 13, 2026: Crew-12 launched to the International Space Station.
Oct. 1, 2026: Crew-13 arrived at the International Space Station in under eight hours.
Oct. 7, 2026: Crew-12 is scheduled to undock at 8:05 a.m. EDT.
Oct. 8, 2026: Crew-12 is scheduled to splash down at 11:34 a.m. EDT.
Oct. 13, 2026: SpaceX plans to launch the CRS-35 robotic cargo mission.
The Tech Race
The Crew-12 return marks a routine transition in the long-term human presence maintained on the International Space Station. It follows the recent rapid arrival of the Crew-13 mission, which achieved transit to the station in under eight hours.
The return of the crew completes a nearly 10-month research cycle aboard the station. Observers can watch for the scheduled splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on Oct. 8 at 11:34 a.m. EDT.
The takeaway
The Crew-12 return underscores the reliance on iterative mission cycles to maintain orbital research. Watch the upcoming Oct. 13 launch of the CRS-35 cargo mission to see how SpaceX manages its rapid turnaround between crewed and robotic flights.
What happens next
The next major milestone in the launch cadence is the scheduled liftoff of the CRS-35 robotic cargo mission, which is set for Oct. 13.
Further reading
For more on the latest orbital operations, visit the Space section.
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